I absolutely love the Olympics! I don’t discriminate between summer or winter, I love it all. I especially love the background stories in the Olympic coverage, the unexpected winners, unexpected live feeds and all …

You guys are never going to believe this but we got more snow and more school cancellations and delays this week! At this point, the boys have not had a full week of school since before Christmas. But, the training show must go on as the snow rains down. Here’s what your week looks like with a snow day, a delay and a husband who works from home.

Caught in the snow on a training run last week.

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 5, 2018

RUNNING

Despite the snow, ice and icy rain I managed to get in some good mileage this week and avoid my treadmill! This is a new record. I had two great runs and one horrible one, but you have to enjoy the good and learn from the bad. I’m proud that I mentally plowed my way through 12 icy miles when I felt like massive icebergs were attached to my legs. They can’t all be great and I’ll appreciate the next good run even more.

Tuesday – mile repeats before swim | 7.63 miles | 8:06 pace

Friday – long run with tempo time pace before strength | 12 miles | 8:40 pace

Sunday – 40 minutes easy before strength | 5.83 miles | 8:30 pace

Total = 25.46 miles

CYCLING

The miles are stacking up on the bike trainer as I anxiously wait for the temperatures to rise and roads to clear. I have seen a few brave souls out on the roads but I’ve been surrounded by too many stories of bike crashes and hit and runs to dare attempt it myself right now.

When the snow day hit mid-week I had to move the trainer to my living room so my husband could work in the basement. #whateverittakes

Wednesday – base build | 14.6 miles | 1:03:21

Thursday – strength endurance before swim | 17.0 | 1:12:53

Total = 31.6 miles

SWIMMING

There are workouts I dread in the pool. I used to dread them all but now it’s really just multiple 500s. A 500 consists of 20 laps and I had to do three, after a 600 meter warm up, with one minute rest breaks in between. I did them and I did them faster then I have in a long time but I’m still fighting a mental battle when it comes to these long ones.

Also noteworthy is you swim your ass off for almost an hour for a measly 352 calories.

Monday – 500s for form before strength | 2,200 yards

Tuesday – recovery swim after run | 1,200 yards

Thursday – 2x (10x50s) after bike | 2,000 yards

Total = 5,400 yards

THINGS I LOVE

My husband’s ridiculous Super Bowl bets. He took the under on how long it would take P!nk to sing the National Anthem. The line was 2:03 and our poor flu-ridden woman got the job done in 1:58:47. I know the exact time because of this…

He also won which color Gatorade the winning coach would be doused with. Pee yellow Gatorade for the win!

THINGS I DON’T LOVE AS MUCH

That we have had all this snow and I have only been snowboarding once. Once. It seems criminal. Part of the issue is the boys basketball schedule with games on Saturdays and the other part is me not just taking a damn day and going to the mountain by myself!

READING

On Friday I shared the book I’m currently reading, Gratitude In Motion, about Colleen Alexander and her incredible story of survival. Colleen was hit by a freight truck while cycling home from work one day in 2011, was in a coma for five weeks and had 29 surgeries. In the months and years that followed she slowly rebuilt her life, returned to racing and has given back in so many inspiring ways. I highly recommend reading it!

Sadly, along those same lines, I found the below article from Oct 2016. It’s back in circulation on social media because of another cyclist hit on a ride:

Not only have I been immersed in Colleen Alexander’s story but a fellow Coeur teammate, Lectie Altman, was hit by a car while on a training ride a few weeks ago. I donated to her Go Fund Me page but mostly I feel helpless to do anything else but advocate for people to slow down and think about what it would mean to actually injure or kill someone because you’re in a rush to get somewhere. Tim Snyder does a nice job of putting this in the simplest of terms.

Lectie Altman recovering in the hospital where she will remain for weeks as she rebuilds her body. Regular updates have been posted to her Go Fund Me page where this picture is from.

TELEVISION

In a nutshell, here are my reviews for the week:

Movie: Get Out – I wanted to get out of this movie! Honestly, why the buzz? It was predictable, not scary, had some good acting but really?

HBO: The Night Of – So unbelievably good! It was so real we were not sure if it was based on a true story until we Googled it (it’s not). The story has everything you could want – suspense, humor, great acting, interesting characters and tons of WTF moments. Granted, the first episode is slow but it’s like the steady climb on a roller coaster just before the non-stop action.

RANDOM PHOTO OF THE WEEK

#LifeGoals

Hope there is only good weather in your forecast this week my friends!

WELCOME

I come from a long line of smart mouthed women and I try to use my powers for good! On any given day you can find me training for my next big race or triathlon, raising my twin boys, freelance writing, traveling the globe and eating and drinking with my husband. Join the party!